Category: Modern boatbuilding

Modern and plywood boatbuilding and plans

Two books from Haynes: Classic ships and The Tug Book

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Photos from the book Classic Ships, with permission from MirrorPix

Sitting in the cockpit of a small boat, I think most of us become interested in the doings of the ships, tugs and cranes we see in our local harbours. So I was interested to receive notices about two new editions of books from Haynes: Classic Ships, by Richard Havers and The Tug Book by M J Gaston.

Classic Ships chronicles our shipping heritage for the last hundred or so years and features everything from tall ships to small ships, working boats, liners and lifeboats.

The Tug Book, meanwhile, is a detailed account of the design and operation of tugs all over the world. The publishers say that leading maritime writer Jack Gaston describes and illustrates virtually every facet of the tug and towing scene. He has brought together over 200 full colour photographs and diagrams in order to offer a definitive portrait of the vessels and their work, and a key theme throughout the book is the fierce competition among tug operators.

Go to Amazon to buy Classic Ships and The Tug Book.

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Images from The Tug Book

Onawind Blue becomes a Costa Brava celebrity

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I can’t resist showing readers these photos of Ben Crawshaw’s Onawind Blue at the centenary celebrations of the term Costa Brava.

They were taken by Spanish boating weblogger Amiga Atlántica, who I gather writes in a mixture of Castillian Spanish, with bits of of Galician. Certainly if you try to use the Babelfish translator on what she writes the results can be quite interesting. Ben, we learn, is some kind of horseradish – try it for yourself.

Spain’s sailing community seems to be taking Ben and his brave little boat to their hearts – though Ben is adamant that it’s OB they admire, not him!

I also rather liked his remark about the event too: ‘I’m knackered and happy and OB’s ego is pumped up like a balloon from all the compliments she’s received.’ Any sailor back from a trip would be delighted to be able to say as much.

As always, Ben’s weblog entries about the event are interesting and amusing. Read them here and here.

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Ella builds a model Ella skiff

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Ella’s model of the Ella skiff

My daughter Ella has made her own model Ella skiff and told me that she’d like to build the real thing some day. That sounds like a really nice project, even if we already own too many small boats and she lives hundreds of miles away…

For more photos of models of the easy to build 12ft Ella skiff click here. If you make one, please send photos for my collection to gmatkin@gmail.com!

For plans drawings for use in making models of the Ella skiff, click here and for more on my Ella skiff design project click here. However, if you’re looking for something longer and with a bit more performance, try this.

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